Scottish Surnames Used as First Names
Names like Mackenzie and Brody are becoming all the rage among certain American populations. Surnames have traditionally been used as first names in English-speaking countries for centuries now. You may want to dig into your family tree to find a suitable surname you'd like to use. If not, here is a list of surnames that would sound particularly nice as first names.
Most Scottish surnames are derived from either personal names or from place names. Many of the place names are in France, Belgium, or other places where names emigrated from.
You can also click here for a list of the Most popular surnames in Scotland if you'd like more ideas.
| Name | Gaelic Form | meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Adie | ? | descendent of Adam (from Hebrew meaning 'red earth') |
| Aiken | descendent of Adam | |
| Baird | Mac a'Bhaird | from a place name |
| Barclay | ? | From Berkeley in England |
| Blair | ? | plain, field |
| Boyd | derived from the Island of Boyd | |
| Brodie | Brothaigh | derived from the Dutch word for "brother." |
| Bruce | Brus | from a French place name |
| Buchanan | Canonach | canon's seat |
| Burns | possibly 'dweller near a stream' | |
| Cairns | ? | name for someone who lived near a cairn (pile of stones built by ancient people) |
| Cameron | Camshron | crooked nose |
| Campbell | Caimbeul | crooked mouth |
| Carmichael | Mac ghille michael | servant of St. Michael |
| Carson | ? | meaning is obscure |
| Clark | ? | a clerk or cleric (from Latin) |
| Craig | creag | name for someone who lived near a steep rocky place |
| Currie | ? | from Corrie, a place name meaning 'wet plain; marsh' |
| Dalling | from Dalling (in England) or Dowling (in Ireland) | |
| Dalzell | from a place name | |
| Drummond | Drummann | from a place name |
| Duncan | Mac Dhonnchaidh | son of the brown warrior |
| Elliot | Elwold | from an English place name |
| Erskine | Arascain | from a place name |
| Ferguson | Mac Fhearghuis | son of Fergus |
| Fletcher | Mac an Fhleisteir | arrow maker, from Old French |
| Forbes | Foirbeis | from a place name meaning "field" or "tract of ground" |
| Fraser | Friseal | the meaning is obscure, but it is aften associated with the French word for 'strawberry' |
| Garrow | ? | ? |
| Gibson | ? | son of Gilbert |
| Gillan/Gillon | Mac Giolla Iain? | possibly 'servant of St. John' |
| Gordon | from a place name, meaning 'hill fort" | |
| Graham | Greumach | from an English place name |
| Grant | Grand (from French) | grand |
| Gregor/Gregg/Grieg | Mac Ghregoir | descendant of Gregory (from Greek, meaning 'vigilant') |
| Imrie/Imray | ? | from the Germanic Amalric, made from elements meaning 'work' and 'rule' |
| Innes | Innis | island |
| Irvine/Irving | from a place name meaning, possibly, 'green, fresh water' | |
| Jamieson/Jameson | Mac Sheumais | son of James |
| Keir | ? | see Kerr |
| Keith | Ceitach | from a place name |
| Kelso | from a place name meaning perhaps, 'chalk ridge' | |
| Kerr | Cearr, Mac Ghillechearr | from an Old Norse word-- a name for someone who lived near wet ground covered by brushwood. |
| Kinnaird | ? | from a place name meaning 'summit; peak' |
| Knox | derived from cnoc, the Gaelic word for 'hill' | |
| Lachlan | Lochlainn | 'stranger' |
| Lamond/Lamont | Mac Laomainn | law man |
| Leith | ? | from a river name meaning 'wet.' |
| Lennie | ? | from a place name meaning 'bog; marsh' |
| Lennox | ? | from a place name meaning 'elm tree' |
| Lindsay | Mac Ghille Fhionntaig | from a Norman place name |
| Logan | Loganaich, Macgill'innein | possibly, "little hollow' |
| MacAdie | ? | son of Adam |
| Macalister | Mac Alasdair | son of Alexander |
| Macara/McCarra | ? | descendant of the charioteer; driver |
| Macaskill | ? | ? |
| Macaulay | Mac Amhlaidh | son of Olaf |
| Macbeth | Mac Beatha | 'son of life' |
| MacCale/McHale | ? | son of Cathal, meaning 'valor' |
| MacCall | ? | son of Cathmhaol, meaning 'battle chief' |
| MacCallen | ? | possibly, son of Ailean? |
| Maccallum | Mac Chaluim | son of Malcolm |
| MacCammon | ? | ? |
| MacCay | Mac Aodh | son of Aodh (fire) |
| MacClay | ? | ? |
| MacColl | Mac Cholla | son of Colla |
| MacCormack | Mac Chormaig | son of Cormac meaning possibly 'defiler' or 'charioteer' |
| MacCorrie | ? | possibly, 'son of Geoffrey' |
| Macgowan | Mac S'Ghobhainn | son of the smith |
| Macintosh | Mac-an-Toisich | 'son of the chief' |
| MacIntyre | Mac an tSaoir | son of the carpenter |
| Maciver | Mac Iomhair | son of Ivor |
| Mackay | MacAoidh | son of Aoidh (Aoidh is a Celtic god name meaning 'fire') |
| Mackendrick | ? | son of Henry |
| Mackenzie | Mac Coinnich | son of the fair one |
| MacKerras | ? | ? |
| McKinley | Mac Fionnlaigh | son of Fionnlagh |
| MacKinnon | MacFhionghuain | son of the fair-born |
| Maclaine | MacGhiolla Eoin | son of the devotee of St. John |
| Maclaren | MacLabhruinn | son of Laurence |
| Macrae | MacRath | son of grace |
| Macrory | Mac Ruadhraidh | son of the red-haired one |
| Maxwell | ? | from a place name (Maccus's Wiel) |
| Melrose | ? | from a place name meaning 'barren place' |
| Melville | ? | from a Norman place name meaning 'bad settlement' |
| Melvin | ? | another form of Melville |
| Mitchell | ? | derived from Michael, Hebrew for 'Who is like God?' |
| Montgomery | from a Norman place name | |
| Morrison | MacMuiris | Son of Maurice |
| Munro | Rothach | man from Ro |
| Murray/Moray | MacMhuirich | from a place name |
| Ramsay | Ramsaidh | from a place name |
| Ross | Ròs, Roìs | from a place name |
| Ruthven | from a place name meaning either 'red marsh' or 'red river' | |
| Scott | Scot, Scotach | scotsman |
| Shaw | Seaghdha | pithful |
| Stewart | Stiubhard | a steward |
| Stirling | from a place name | |
| Strachan | from a place name | |
| Wallace | Uallis | from a French place name |
| Wylie | possibly derived from 'Willie' |